Emerging Science Episodes Emmy award winning program funded by VT EPSCoR. For more information visit the VPT website https://video.vermontpbs.org/show/emerging-science/ Season 1: - Episode 1 - Nanotechnology - Featuring....
Nanotechnology is our ability to engineer specific attributes of materials and machines by controlling their features at an amazingly small scale -- one billionth of a meter. At UVM, a scientist gives a glimpse of how nanotechnology may increase the efficacy of cancer drugs. - Episode 2 - Weather and Climate Change - Featuring.... Weather and Climate Change Scientists from UVM, Lyndon State College, and the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium in St. Johnsbury explain how the earth's climate system works and explore the impact of global warming.
- Episode 3 - Water and the Landscape - Featuring....
This episode explores a complex system --- the Lake Champlain watershed. UVM faculty collaborate, using their expertise in geology, hydrology, ecology, computer science and other disciplines to develop complex modeling. Their work will help to quantify human impacts on Vermont's water systems. - Episode 4 - Remote Wireless Sensing - Featuring....
Looks at how remote wireless sensing is being applied to enhance health and quality of life. One example is monitoring the strength of structures like bridges. In other applications, computer scientists are developing ways to monitor environmental conditions and natural resources. Season 2: - Episode 1 - Energy - Featuring....
Host Amy Seidl visits with Vermont scientists to explore the history of energy in human society, examining how we use energy and the challenges and opportunities associated with adapting to new, renewable sources. Included: how Vermont scientists are contributing to the growth potential of wind energy and helping redefine the electric grid to accommodate alternative energy sources. - Episode 2 - Food Webs - Featuring.... This episode explores two Vermont “food webs”: the aquatic food web of Lake Champlain and the terrestrial food web in the time since wolves disappeared from the Vermont landscape. While food webs can be relatively simple to understand, Vermont scientists are delving into their complexities by modeling one of the smallest self-contained food webs known: the aquatic habitat in the pitcher plant.
- Episode 3 - Technology of Social Sciences - Featuring....
What are the technological tools used by today's social scientists to understand the behavior of large populations? This episode explains how Vermont scientists are studying child behavior and \"teaching\" robots how to learn. Also, a look at how the Internet is affecting our behavior and how data mining enables scientists to understand the collective behavior and emotions of hundreds of thousands of people. - Episode 4 - Transportation - Featuring....
This episode starts with a lesson in how the combustion engine works, then investigates the challenges of continued dependence on gasoline vehicles in the face of climate change and declining oil reserves. Also, a look at emerging transportation alternatives including electric vehicles and a renewable system called \"vehicle-to-grid\". - Episode 5 - Fresh Water - Featuring....
This look at one of Vermont's most plentiful resources also includes a broader discussion of the status of fresh water across the U.S., and highlights case studies and research programs - from coastal Maine to the Mississippi bayou to the dry landscapes of the West. What are scientists doing to ensure clean water for our future? Season 3: - Episode 1 - Disease Origins and Transmission - Featuring....
Infectious diseases such as SARS and the H1N1 virus seem to be on the rise across the globe. This episode explores the science of disease origins and transmission with much of the current research occurring in Africa. - Episode 2 - Food Pathogens - Featuring....
From tainted spinach to recalled hamburgers to peanut butter, there seems to be a growing incidence of health scares involving salmonella,e-coli and other food borne illnesses. This episode explores the science of identifying and tracking food pathogens in the U.S. - Episode 3 - Ecological Economics - Featuring....
Bob Costanza and Jon Erickson from the University of Vermont's Gund Institute explain the concepts of ecological economics - a different framework to answer the age-old economic question: how do we allocate scarce resources to create alternative desirable ends? As a case study, the program explores a new interdisciplinary UVM study in the emerging science of biofuels. - Episode 4 - Astronomy - Featuring....
This episode explores the wonders of the cosmos with two of Vermont's leading astronomical physicists. John O'Meara of St. Michael's College is using infrared technology to view galaxy formations 12 billion light years away. Joanna Rankin of the University of Vermont is using radio astronomy to explore one type of celestial body - the pulsar. Also, visits with astronauts Alan Bean and Jerry Carr. Season 4: - Episode 1 - Out of this World - Featuring....
Space exploration is happening right under our noses, even in Vermont. With the space shuttle program now ended, scientists at four Vermont institutions are leading the way to cheaper methods of space exploration, constructing a miniature satellite destined to orbit the moon. - Episode 2 - Cyber Shadows - Featuring....
As the popularity of social media grows, so does the interest in mining online data for a variety of uses. Today, our digital "fingerprints" can be traced in ways most of us never imagined -- for market research, criminal investigations and more. A handful of Vermont scientists are busy analyzing our online behavior as a tool for spotting trends and, ultimately, measuring our emotional well-being. - Episode 3 - Regenerating Our Future - Featuring....
The little skate, a North Atlantic sea creature resembling a ray, has captured scientists' attention for its incredible regenerative abilities. Now, Northeast scientists from Delaware to Vermont to Maine are mapping the organism's genome in hopes of unlocking its secrets of regeneration for the benefit of humans. Season 5: - Episode 1 - Climate Change: A Northeast Primer - Featuring....
Climate change is already underway across our region, and 2011's Tropical Storm Irene was a sobering example of the type of severe weather we may be experiencing in the future - and the effect it might have on habitat, water quality and quality of life. A regional consortium of researchers are engaged in several projects that hope to shed light on our changing climate, and on how we can best adapt to an unpredictable future. - Episode 2 - Acupuncture: A Connective Tale - Featuring....
A researcher at the University of Vermont is exploring the connection between acupuncture and connective tissue in the human body. Helene Langevin, M.D., is a professor of neurology at UVM. Her research is applying scientific analysis to acupuncture and revealing new information about the function and importance of connective tissue to our overall health - and unveiling secrets about how acupuncture actually works. The episode profiles a Vermont resident who suffers from scleroderma, a connective tissue disorder. - Episode 3 - Traumatic Brain Injury In Sports - Featuring....
The incidence of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) has been making headlines due to an alarming increase of cases being reported among athletes. New research being done by Dr. Kalev Freeman at the University of Vermont's College of Medicine focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of TBI. This episode focuses on sports injuries and features a Huntington, Vt., resident whose life has been dramatically altered by a series of concussions. - Episode 4 - Traumatic Brain Injury At War - Featuring....
The incidence of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) has been making headlines due to an alarming increase of cases being reported among athletes and military personnel. This episode focuses on brain injuries affecting military personnel in war zones. Dr. Matt Friedman of the National Center for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and Dr. Tom McAllister of Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital in New Hampshire are exploring the association between PTSD and TBI. Dr. Jom Hammack at the University of Vermont is exploring PTSD on a microscopic level. |